


informant

by alchemic



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 1920's, A lot of Bad Jokes, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Mobtale (Undertale), Alternative Universe - Mafiatale (Undertale), Betrayal, Blood, Crime, Drama, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gangs, Gore, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, Investigations, Kinda?, Love, Mentions of drugs, Misunderstandings, Mobs, Multi, Murder, Mystery, Politics, Racism, Reader has her shit together, Reader is a cop, Reader knows a lot of people, Secret dating, Secrets, Smoking, Swearing, Understanding, Violence, You and Sans have a complicated relationship that you keep under wraps, but you two care for each other, eventually?, lots of characters, puns, smut?, with modern elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:20:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alchemic/pseuds/alchemic
Summary: Peace. Unity. Prosperity.That was the oath of the Ebott City Peacekeepers, a police force within the grandiose city created to deal with the rising rate of crime of the growing population. You, an Enforcer, know better than anyone that the town's corruption had gotten out of hand, and the citizens of this city are suffering because of it. So, you make a deal with a skeleton. Information for information. Together you plan on dismantling this oppressive force in hopes of saving your beloved hometown, and both the humans and monsters who inhabit it. Too bad you'll have to go through hell to do it.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Asgore Dreemurr/Toriel, Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale), Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	1. a cat-astrophe

" _Please.. there must be something we can do. I can't stand it anymore, this city is tearing us apart!_ " a female voice pleaded. 

" _There's nothing to be done my dear,_ " a stoic male voice replied. " _The city is cold. It chews you up and spits you right back out. It breaks you. Lures you in with the glitz and the glam and a promise of a good time, but they ain't nothin' but lies. You know this. I know this. Hell, everyone knows it! And yet we're all still here._ "

" _I-I just.. want us to be together,_ " the soft feminine voice faltered, the sound of tears brimming in her eyes. " _No more fightin'. No more trouble!_ "

" _I know sweetcheeks,_ " the male voice said sympathetically. " _One of these days we're gonna skip town. Go follow the sunset. Take ourselves where the wind blows. But right now I got a duty to this city and I intend to upho-_ "

You finally managed to turn the radio off as you made it into the kitchen, a pair of eyelights scanning over your rather unimpressed expression. A familiar skeleton had made himself at home in your breakfast nook, his suit jacket hanging off one of the nearby chairs. He shot you a small questioning look for turning off the radio.

"what, not a fan?" Sans asked and you rolled your eyes, stepping back out into the hallway to hang up your trench coat in the closet near the front door.

"Can't say the evening radio dramas have ever been a favorite of mine," you called from out in the hall, hanging up both your gun and destabilizer holsters before peeking back into the kitchen. "I'm surprised you're even listening to them."

"oh? i don't seem like the type to _tune in_?" he asked, the corners of his eyesockets crinkling as he smiled. You did not return the sentiment, frowning instead as you entered the kitchen and cocked an eyebrow at him. He merely shrugged. "paps has been listening to them lately and i gotta say, that brandon dreyer guy makes it hard to _turn it down_."

He actually winked at you. Ugh. This damn monster. He was too cute. You were determined to keep up your miffed expression at him, or else he might actually start thinking he was funny. 

"figured that joke would get some _poor reception_ ," Sans said, closing his eyes and leaning back farther into the corner of the breakfast nook, propping his feet up on the bench and placing his arms behind his skull.

"Remind me why I let you in here?" you retorted, still trying to keep up your annoyed facade. Stars above did you hate his puns. ..No.. not really. Truth be told they made you laugh more often than you'd like to admit, but some of them were terrible. Plus, every time he did manage to make you laugh it'd be like opening the flood gates and he'd keep sneaking them into conversations for what felt like hours.

"because of my award winning personality, fantastic sense of humor and devilish good looks," he said without even skipping a beat, reaching into his suit vest pocket and grabbing a comb, which he used to brush back his non-existent hair. That finally managed to get giggle out of you. 

He patted the spot next to him and you obliged, unable to hold back your smile anymore which earned you yet another wink from the charming little skeleton. Finally having the chance to sit made you realize just how tired you were though, letting out a sigh as you leaned back a bit into the bench, head lightly hitting the wall behind it. Your whole body ached from being on your feet since this morning, and now even the slightly uncomfortable wooden breakfast nook felt like heaven for your sore and exhausted form.

"..ya look like you had a rough go at it, sweetheart," Sans said, his tone turning softer as he put away the comb.

"Yeah, works been kicking my ass. The Jackrabbits seem like they're up to no good with all their recent movements," you mumbled. "Samuel has been cracking down on us, trying to make sure we keep track of them this go around since they gave Al the slip about a month ago. Think they've got some weapons they're trying to get out of the docks, which could spell bad news if they're going to who I think they're going to." 

You didn't mean to start talking business so soon after getting home but the Jackrabbits really had been taking up a lot of your time lately, so much so that you felt like they were always on your mind. They were a notoriously quick little gang of gangsters and thugs, always jumping from district to district, earning themselves their nickname. Following them was a huge pain in the ass on your part. Even despite your privileges of being able to hop from district to district as an Enforcer, traveling between them took a lot of time if you did it the legal way. Lotta paperwork and identification.

"ah, charlie's been talking up something similar," the skeleton replied. "said he's been seeing a lot of shadows on the pier recently, but he's been trying to keep his nose outta it." 

"He better," you huffed. "That boy nearly got his ears shot off for peeking his head at the Pinks and Brockman Brothers exchange a few weeks ago." 

Like a deer caught in headlights, Charlie Hall had shown his face as two of the largest gangs in the Sevens were making a deal out on the port docks, and barely managed to dodge the hail of bullets that came flying out at him as a result. You had been there just to watch the exchange happen and instead witnessed as the teen tried to scramble away from the carnage before your targets were sent packing, no deals made. Thankfully you had gotten a good look at what they were trying to exchange, giving you something to report back, or else you woulda been after Charlie yourself for making you leave empty handed after scouting out the docks for so long.

"heh. i'll remind him to keep his nose outta the big stuff if keeps planning on tryin' to sell info," Sans said, pushing himself up from the comfort of your breakfast nook and checking up on the bubbling pot currently on your stovetop. It smelled amazing, whatever it was, and you tried to keep your stomach from growling at the delicious scent that filled your apartment.

"Maybe he wants to be like someone else who has a nack for sticking his nose where it don't belong," you said, giving his back a sharp look and he turned his skull to you.

"well i know you're not talking about me dollface, cause i ain't got a nose," he said, pointing to his nasal bridge which indeed lacked a proper nose. "you got a cat on the side that i don't know about or something?"

".. _Pawsibly_ ," you said and he grinned, letting out a chuckle. You knew what was going to come next, but you just couldn't help yourself.

"you've gotta be _kitten_ me," he said rather dramatically, turning and giving the pot a stir while shaking his head. "here i am, spilling my soul and all my info out for _mew_ and you went and got yerself an un- _fur_ -tunate _furball_ just waiting out in the alley _fur_ the moment i leave. simply a- _paw_ -ling."

"Ugh, mercy. Please!" you begged, unable to control your laughter as Sans berated you with cat puns. They were bad. Really bad. He used fur as a pun three times in a row for Stars sake! It was impressive how he managed to say all that without hesitation though, like punning was a second language to him. You'd probably be more impressed if they just weren't so ... _bad_!

"alright alright, i'll go easy on you kitty cat," he laughed, grabbing some bowls out from the pantry. You started to get up from your spot on the bench to help, but Sans just waved you back down. "ain't nothin' fancy sugar, feel free to keep yourself parked right there."

He was too sweet. And who were you to argue with him? So you parked your butt right back on that bench as Sans joined you with two bowls of pipping hot soup. Looked like some kind of vegetable stew if you had to take a guess, most monsters like him were vegetarians when it came to human food after all. You were starting to become one too with how many meals the two of you shared. You did your best to keep a small stock of monster food around for him, but if by chance anyone came over, it would seems suspicious if you had too much considering you lived alone.

Sans also made it a point that he didn't mind eating human food with you.

_'just takes a little more to process it, that's all.'_

You didn't ask him to elaborate on that, no matter how much you wanted him to. You just knew he'd give you the same old vague spirit fingers gesture and "magic" explanation again. The bastard. Still, he went to all the effort to make you both a nice meal again, even though it was suppose to be your turn to cook tonight. The fact that you were rather late coming home must've given him the hint that today had been a rough one and he went to the trouble of throwing this all together for you. 

..You really did appreciate him.

"Thanks funnybones," you said, and Sans couldn't help but admire that earnest smile on your face. It made going through all the trouble of making a homemade dinner worth it. 

"anything for my favorite gal," he replied. You two ate, chatting about some other small things here and there, like the ice cream parlor in the Nines re-opening and some of the new shows at the theaters in the Eights. It was nice, to come home from such a busy day and just relax with someone you cared about, talking about anything other than work. A part of you wished things could stay like this. 

Quiet. Peaceful. Domestic. 

But... that was a foolish thought to have. Just like with Brandon Dreyer, Ebott City was determined to keep you two apart. You were an Enforcer and he was a monster, after all. The two of couldn't of been on more opposite ends of the playing field.

It was nearly eight years ago when monsters emerged from Mt. Ebott and came to settle in your quiet town. Six years ago they were finally recognized as citizens of the states. 

And now, almost five years ago, the Peacekeeps were established in Ebott City to deal with the rising rates of crime... or so they claimed. The once small town had flourished into a full fledged city after the monsters arrived. The economy boomed, people wanted to buy housing within the town that homed monsters and soon the town was growing at an exponential rate. People wanted to bring their businesses, their families, their whole lives down to Ebott. With all the dough that could be made here, who could blame them? It was no surprise that people had flocked in droves to get a cut of the green stuff. There was such a boon in population that the local community couldn't keep up with all of the issues that arose, like lack of proper housing, a growing economy and the desire for more luxury goods and entertainment. So, the still expanding city was split into smaller, more manageable districts. 

The city then created a task force known as the Peacekeepers, with the idea of maintaining a truce between humanity and monsterkind due to the rising tensions and competition for jobs and opportunities that came with such an overpopulation of people. Teams of political Peacekeepers managed each district, with specializations for handling community problems and distributing budgeting in their districts. The police handled most small scale crimes within the city, and acted more as glorified guard dogs than anything, making sure people kept to their districts and everybody stayed in line. But, as the population grew, so did the the size of the Ebott's of criminal underbelly. Sharks began infesting the waters, so the city council decided to establish a more lethal crew of people to deal with it. 

The Enforcers.

Ironic, wasn't it? To have a division called the 'Enforcers' within a group called the 'Peacekeepers'. You thought so at least.. but, like many who joined the police force, you thought you were doing something good. That you would protect people by putting the bad guys in the pen and help make your city a better place to live for everyone, human and monster alike. You were ..naive then. Just like the police, the Peacekeepers were nothing but glorified bullies who lined their pockets with the money of the wealthy and only protected the city's property, not it's people.

Monsters have suffered the most out of all. From incredibly poor housing situations to being the targets of racism and violent crimes, they finally decided to take a stand for themselves by creating gangs of their own to combat those issues and protect themselves. They were trapped within the slums of the Fives and the mediocre housing of the Sixes, just trying to make it by in a city that hated them, and finally decided they've had enough. The Peacekeepers weren't there to protect anyone, just there to enforce the wills of the wealthy elite who paid to keep the lower class people and monsters suppressed into the poorer districts.

..It's exactly the reason why you began selling information to Sans. You had begun to stray from the cleaned nosed police officer you once where when you joined the Enforcers. Seeing the darkest parts of Ebott had jaded you, and watching everything unfold from inside the system itself made you realize that this city was corrupt to it's core. Your skills of observation and deduction, as well as your expertise in fighting and de-escalation lead to a promotion from a police officer to Enforcer just a few years back, and you were determined to do something with the wealth of information you now had access to. Meeting Sans had just been that final push over the edge to becoming a two-timing cop. 

The two of you met by chance one evening when you managed to save him from some racist thugs who thought a monster shouldn't be wandering the streets at night in the Threes. After a rather rocky start of being an Enforcer who found a monster without their ID in a human district (a very high offense) and a few more at chance meetings (which you came to realize later, may of been a little bit more planned out on his end), you two began to exchange information. Sans kept you up to date with a lot of monster issues as well as happenings all over the other districts. His unique ability to teleport allowed him to travel with ease, and he had a lot of connections with both humans and monsters that he traded information and tips with. You on the other hand, only sold your info to Sans.

Enforcer information was delicate, to say the least. You had access to some very high level profile people and knowledge, and he was just about the only one you trusted to do some good with that intelligence. Not to mention he was the only one you could trust to not expose you for the dirty, lying cop that you were. If there was even a _rumor_ of you spilling any kind kind of information to a monster mobster, much less anyone outside of the Peacekeepers, you'd be dead before you even knew what hit ya.

You two had a good relationship, one built on trust and understanding of each other. The both of you also enjoyed each others company... maybe a little more than you should've. Your small meetings to exchange info turned into a lot of long nights together, most of the time not even talking business anymore, just chatting and appreciating each other's presence. You two joked and flirted and.. shared a bed.. ever so often... but you knew at it's core this relationship was built upon the exchange of vital info that kept you both safe and informed. 

You were simply another one of Sans' informants. And that was that. 

And you were fine with letting it be that. 

..You think.

But.. you didn't dwell on it. You couldn't. You knew more than anyone that true peace of any kind between monsters and humans was way far off, so even humoring the idea that you two could be anything more than this was just a waste of time. So, you let it be. There was just still the small hope that you held on to that things would get better one day. That you were actually making a difference for Ebott City and that things might actually improve for both monsters and humans alike so that.. maybe you didn't have to hide this relationship.

Little did you know that things we're going to get much, much worse. 

Tonight, on the same night you shared another quiet evening meal with Sans, an event was going to transpire that would shake this city to it's core. That the sins and darkness that this town had been built upon were going to fester and come crashing down around all around it, taking it's people down with it. That you were going to help rebuild some hope for monsters.. and then pay dearly for it.

In the monster filled district of the Fives, a gunshot rang out. That was all it took for it to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> howdy! welcome to my second work, informant! this is one of my longer works that i hope you'll all enjoy. after all of your wonderful comments and positive reception on rival i wanted to clean this up and share it with everyone. hopefully this first chapter gives you a little insight into the city of ebott. hopefully you also enjoyed this small domestic scene with sans because we will not see him for a few chapters (but he will be mentioned a lot ehehe). thank you very much for reading and please look forward to the next chapter! ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ


	2. paying the price.

The call came in the very early morning after your dinner with Sans.

It had been.. a little shocking to wake up to (it was suppose to be your day off after all) but you got up, taking some time process everything before throwing on your uniform of a white button up and black slacks. Yo manged to track down your badge and you also equipped yourself with your gun and destabilizer holsters, boots and your trench coat before walking out the door.

It was unusual to take up this sort of call an Enforcer. Most were muscle, there to show their face and weapons to intimidate people into behaving properly, but your partner Samuel had been called in and he always made you tag along with wherever he went. You were technically qualified to be an Investigator (it was actually your department of choice at first until you were begged into becoming an Enforcer), and you two worked well together so you didn't complain...

Much.

It was way too early for this shit.

The crime took place in the Fives, the quieter but much more run down monster district in the city. Compared to it's sister district, the Sixes, this place was a dump. The building were standing at least, but were incredibly run down and in a lot of disrepair. Broken windows, dirty alleyways, and a lack of any kind of living nature made this whole area seem oppressive and muddied. 

The darkened gray morning skies didn't help to lift the mood. 

You drove through the streets in your unmarked vehicle, keeping an eye out the best you could for anything suspicious. It was incredibly quiet and not a single soul was in sight, most likely due to the early hour and curfew. You were trying your best to remain focused but your destination was keeping itself in the forefront of your mind. Samuel didn't exactly grace you with a good description of what happened.

And now? Seeing it with your own eyes?

It was rather gruesome.

A body laid sprawled out on the floor of the small Political Peacekeeper office. Blood and gore sprayed the back walls, covering a small map of the district in splatters of bright red and brain matter. It almost looked artistic, in a rather morbid way. You could hear Arthur taking small labored breaths at the sight as you and Samuel stood at the entrance of the office, taking in all the evidence before you.

"..You better not hurl, boy," Samuel said, his slight country twang seeping into his displeased tone. He was an older man, his silver hair neatly combed back and his mustache and beard were well maintained. He was dressed like most Investigators, with a dark suit and a red tie hanging from his neck, a Peacekeeper pin on his lapel. His hands were stuffed into his pockets as he glared at the young man beside you.

"W-working on it sir," Arthur huffed, turning his back to the body. He was a young kid, training to become a full-fledged Peacekeeper just like you and Samuel under the old mans' tutelage. His face still held onto a bit of a boyish quality and he looked like a twig in his own tan suit vest and slacks, like he had put on his fathers clothes and forgot to get it tailored. He'd be making better strides in becoming a Peacekeeper proper if he'd stop being so squeamish at crime scenes like this. 

"This is.. William Foster, isn't it?" you asked, eyeing the corpse. The fact that this guy had his head blown off to make a mosaic on the wall was making it a little difficult to tell. Still, the well tailored blue suit, name brand expensive shoes and gaudy golden rings told you that it was more than likely that haughty piece of shit.

Probably shouldn't be speaking ill of him now that he was dead, but this guy was a real piece of work. 

He was the only Political Peacekeeper of this district, mostly because it tended to be rather quiet and didn't earn a lot of revenue, but he extorted it for every penny it was worth. The benefits lent by the government to help aid the suffering of monsters was spent on tailoring that suit and many like it to that fat little body of his, rather than to actually helping anyone. He was probably one of the least liked community leaders in the city due to his recent crimes coming to light, and that was saying something.

"No doubt, but we'll have the boys check it out just to be sure," Samuel said, taking a few more careful steps forward, minding his footing. "..We've got quite the trajectory here."

He was right. From the angle of the blood splatter and absolute mess this guy's head on the wall, it looked like he had been shot from an upward angle, like someone had been pointing the weapon at his chin and then shooting upwards. Kind of a strange way to take a shot, most people just aimed for the chest or the forehead if they had an intention to kill. They would of needed to be rather close to Foster was well.

Perhaps there had been a bit of a struggle? Not to mention..

"Quite the splatter for a gun, huh?" you mused, letting your thoughts fly. Sure, it may of made sense for something like a shotgun or another weapon that sprayed out a projectile, but there was a lack of bullet holes or shrapnel of any kind, which may of ruled out. Samuel let out a small hum, glancing back towards the door that separated the office and the front room of this tiny Political headquarters.

"The officer who called this in had apparently been on patrol when she heard what sounded like a gunshot come from this office," he said, looking around some more. "Just one. Clear as day in the dead of night. No one around though so she just reported it to her higher ups who sent it our way."

There were curfews enacted in many of the districts, the Sixes included, so it wasn't much of a surprise there was no one to hear it. They were mostly created to keep the streets clear at night and to prevent gangs from using the cover of the dark to do anything nefarious, and also continued to serve as a way to keep both monsters and poorer citizens in line. This Political headquarters was also far from any housing, and with no one out during curfew hours, it made the perfect place to murder someone and get away with it, especially knowing Foster would be here alone.

"Suppose we can't rule out magic.. can we.." Arthur said, finally pipping up. Seems like he gained some measure of control over himself. He actually managed to glance at the body without flinching, but he still looked as white as a sheet when observing the damage.

"No, I suppose we can't," you mused, eyes beginning to glance around the room. "The Fives aren't known for being violent by any means, but we are in the midst of the largest gathering of monsters in the city." 

You also got a little closer, glancing to his desk which was rather free of clutter. Seems like nothing of value was stolen, a lot of keys and paperwork still neatly stacked in place. Nothing in the office itself seemed to be disturbed, just the body and the aftermath of the attack.

"I'm not sure we can strictly say a monster did this, however," you added. "Foster didn't exactly have a shining reputation among his constituents, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were others out for him."

William Foster had been the target of quite the scandal lately. Someone had been leaking official documents to the newspapers of his embezzlement of the Fives' government payouts, and the story quickly took off from there. It even made international news, and the Peacekeepers had lit a fire underneath his ass to get his act together and threatened to throw him in the birdhouse unless he fixed the mess. 

A lot of lower class humans showed their sympathy for the monsters, criticizing the Peacekeepers for letting such a person be in charge of the district. It was only a matter of time before he would be put on trial for this. It wouldn't surprise you if this murder was related to that somehow.

..Then again, there were also plenty of gangs who were just trying to knock off any weaker Peacekeepers to rile up the lower number districts. Considering how often Foster had been in the news lately, maybe they were just trying to shake things up and place the blame onto monsters? Many people wouldn't be upset by his death per say, but the idea of someone killing a Political Peacekeeper would definitely stir the rumor mills and cause some unrest in the higher parts of the city.

"Murdering someone in cold blood is also a little out of character for the Kingsmen, isn't it?" Samuel asked and you nodded. The Kingsmen was the first and only monster gang within Ebott, lead by the former king of monsters himself, Asgore Dreemurr. Their name was known in the streets and in whispers of gossip, but the Peacekeepers had a hard time tacking any real crimes on to the group. 

From what info you could (officially) gather, they mostly seemed concerned with moving goods in and out of their districts and making money to fund their communities and improve their living situations. Still illegal in the eyes of the city, but not enough to send the Peacekeepers in to investigate anything on them just yet. Not when you had bigger fish to fry like the Jackrabbits or the North Boys out in the Twos causing a lot of trouble.

Compared to many of the other gangs they were rather peaceful.

"They mostly keep to the Sixes too," you added. "Even if the Fives are still within their terf, I don't think they're interested in igniting the flames of a race war right now."

"It's too soon to say.. right?" Arthur asked. 

"Yes, it is," you answered. "Mostly theorizing. Just remember, the theories you form early on can shape your perception of a case, but it doesn't hurt to put all of the the cards on the table too."

It was part of being a Peacekeeper, understand the motives behind actions and the reasoning behind crimes. About who this may benefit and why they would go to such lengths to take a life. Not every piece of evidence was physical, and understanding the workings of this city and it's people is what made someone a good Investigator.

"We'll have to wait on the cleaning crew to give us a diagnosis of what happened before we can start forming any real conclusions," you added, glancing over to Arthur as he flushed a bit. "But keep your ears out for any gossip or talk. Never know when someone might spill something useful."

"Be sure ya take note of that boy, she's one of the smarter cookies in the Keepers," Samuel said with a grunt as Arthur straightened himself out. "Know what you're looking at but keep your eyes open for anything and everything."

"Y-yes sir!" Arthur fumbled, jumping a bit when a knock came at the door.

"It's open," Samuel said, glaring at the young boy again. Poor kid.

"Ah~! Sorry about being lat-!" a voice called, entering the room before being caught off guard. "Woah-ho-ho!"

"Morning, Tobias," you said, already a little exhausted at his cheerful tone so early on in the day. The young man quickly entered the room, dressed head to toe in white coveralls and a full face respirator, admiring the scene before him.

"Morning, Miss Elite Enforcer!" 

You rolled your eyes at the nickname as he took a knee near the body. 

"Oh my, this is quite the mess! Really impressive I must say," he said, quickly getting out a camera and snapping some shots while two other men dressed in the same white coveralls and respirators entered the room.

"Nice of the cleaning crew to finally show up," Samuel said before crossing his arms at them. "What, you boys couldn't pull yourselves outta bed this early in the mornin'?"

"We were actually just at the Nines. A little stand-off with the Niners and the Costa family turned a little messy!" Tobias said, the rest of his crew gathering samples and inspecting the room once he had finished with his photos. 

Well, that was slightly concerning, but you had enough on your plate to be worrying about yet another district right now. 

"Miller wanted me to tell you to return to headquarters when you finished with your assessment. She sounded tired, so it's probably best to not keep her waiting long~!"

"Alright, we'll be giving the place another once over and inspecting the outlying areas just in case there are any suspicious people lurking around," you said, Tobias shooting you a look of admiration through his mask.

"Aww, doing a once over for us! You're too kind. I'd hate to end up like our little friend here," he said, referring to Foster. "Although you have to admit it's rather avant-garde. Never seen anything like it before!"

"..Sure," was all Samuel said shaking his head and muttering a 'weirdo' under his breath. "Let's get going you two, I think the Cleaners can handle themselves from here. I want a full report of just what the hell happened to this guy on my desk later Tobias."

"You got it, boss~!"

"He was uh.. rather chipper," Arthur said quietly as you made your way out of the Political headquarters and back into the cool morning air. Being outside made you realize how stuffy it was in there, and the metallic scent of blood was replaced by the slight smell of rain and dirt.

"The kid has seen more bodies than you can even dream of," Samuel said, taking a cigarette out of his suit pocket and lighting it. "His methods and views of death are a little unorthodox but he's one of the best Cleaners in town."

Your eyes scanned the streets before you, the gray sky having turned a few shades lighter now that the sun was rising. It was quiet, yet again not a soul in sight. 

"C'mon, I don't want to keep Miller waiting. She's bitchy enough as is, I don't wanna see how she's gonna act at this early hour," the old man said as the three of you began your patrol around the empty morning streets of the Fives. It'd be a long drive back to Peacekeeper HQ in the Ones, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! i figured i could probably update this a little quickly since i already have so many chapters written out, at least until i catch up with myself. there is quite a bit of plot and world building to be done in the next few chapters (with some breaks in between. i haven't forgotten this is suppose to be a sans/reader fic i promise ehehe.) but i hope you'll enjoy the mystery and the set up! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ


	3. taking on responsibility.

After the short patrol, the three of you found nothing of interest in the outlying areas. No discarded weapons, no murderers hanging around the crime scene.. nothing. Whoever had done the deed of offing Foster had made a rather clean getaway. You had been so swamped with gang related activities recently, where mobsters purposely left signs to let everyone know who had done it, it had left you feeling a bit worried. 

It was also surprising to see the Cleaners had already begun their duty of removing the crime scene and the body when you circled back. Normally there would be a few more hours of investigating the area before anything was removed, but they were moving rather expeditiously. You were.. uneasy. 

The meeting with Miller only helped solidify that feeling.

"And how is our fair friend William Foster doing?" she said, the uninterested in her tone and the way she nonchalantly tended to the plants that littered her office let you know that she already knew the answer to that question.

"Dead," Samuel muttered, still humoring her as she let out a careful hum.

"A pity." 

Her eyes scanned in the direction of you three for a moment, and you didn't even have to look at Arthur to know he was shrinking back a bit at her stare. You couldn't blame him, the woman was intimidating. She had a small frame but was rather tall, her brown hair pulled neatly into a bun and not a single strand was out of place. Her uniform was just as clean and pristine, and her office reflected the same precision and organization. Her featured were sharp, just like her gaze, and the scar that cut from above her right eye and down to her chin really set in the idea that she wasn't to be messed with. 

There was a reason she was the head honcho of the Peacekeepers. 

"With how things were transpiring with his case I shouldn't say I was surprised," she drawled, going back to carefully spritzing her plants with water. "Still, to take out a Political is quite the bold move on anyone's part. Are we sure he didn't simply try to remove himself from his situation?"

A fair question. The media had been rather harsh in their delivery of his story and the Keepers were probably laying into him with threats of jail time for his actions, after all. Not to mention the heaps of angry monsters and humans that were probably after him.

"There wasn't a weapon left behind at the crime scene," you trailed off, lightly scratching your chin. "Unless he got his hands on some kind of tool we've never seen before, it's hard to say for sure."

Miller paused for a moment from spritzing her plants to look at you, your eyes meeting for a moment as she seemed to consider something. But, she didn't speak another word, leaving you standing there rather perplexed. 

"There any reason why they shipped off his body so quick?" Samuel asked while taking a few more steps into the office to sit down at one of the elegantly upholstered chairs stationed before a grand oak desk. Arthur seemed to quickly follow suit behind him, leaving you standing a little farther back in the office on your own.

"I thought it would be in the best interest of everyone if this was kept on the quiet side," she murmured, placing the spray bottle down and picking up a pair of scissors, neatly clipping off a brown, dying leaf on her plant. "With all of the commotion about his.. behavior, suddenly having him wind up dead might look bad on our part. Like we were trying to rid him from our ranks."

There was a tightness that formed in your stomach when she said that. 

It was strange.. wasn't it? 

The fact that a man who had proven to be quite the thorn in the side of the Peacekeepers was just suddenly dead without any explanation. You knew what the Keepers were capable of, and pulling off something like this wouldn't be outside their abilities. But then, why were you here? If the Peacekeepers really had killed one of their own, why would an investigation take place?

It would be easier for them to simply have the Cleaners remove the mess and pay for their silence, but now the three of you were involved. Surely this must've been the work of someone else then? 

"You look like you're contemplating something there, Enforcer," Miller said, her voice cutting through your thoughts like a knife. You regarded her briefly as Arthur seemed to glance back at you curiously.

"Just considering all of our options," you replied, crossing your arms. "This seems like almost the perfect situation for someone to try to pin this on the Keepers. I worry that moving the body so quickly might just play into their hands."

"Someone's trying to pin us?" Arthur asked rather decisively and you shook your head.

"No, remember we still don't have anything concrete to go on," you reprimanded. "It's not completely out of line to suggest that it may be someones' motive to spread rumors about the Keepers, but we can't be sure of it yet."

The only way to tell was if rumors really did spread in the next few days.

"Always seeing the bigger picture, aren't you Enforcer," Miller hummed, sounding rather pleased. "I considered the fact that we may just be doing exactly what someone wants by removing a body. After all, they'd only have to start one little rumor of hearing a gunshot and make mention of the lack of any appearance by Foster to get the fire started."

She almost sounded amused by the idea.

"Then.. why move it?" Arthur asked, clearly not follow with the conversation.

"Because I believe in the power of the Peacekeepers," she mused, trimming another brown leaf off of a plant. "That we'll root these gophers out of their hole before they even have a chance to start anything."

"In that district? The one we got no control over except for one Political and a few police officers?" Samuel asked, chewing on a toothpick as he leaned back in his chair. "The monsters wouldn't spill anything to us, especially if it's one of their own that done it. And it's not like we can brute force our way into there without causing even more of a ruckus."

"I considered that as well," Miller retaliated, a coy smile on her face. "The Fives are one of the few districts that our reach is limited in next to the Sixes. Foster's poor handling of it and now the fact that the whole nation knows he was extorting it for money has left us in quite the situation." 

She moved on to the next plant, a smaller one that seemed to be not doing so well.

"Monsters no longer trust their Keepers. Whoever killed Foster would have their best chance of hiding out there for that exact reason. That's why I have a plan."

The room went a little quiet as Miller straightened up, her gaze falling on the three of you. 

"There are currently ten people who are aware of William Fosters death," she said. "Three police officers, three cleaners, and four Peacekeepers. They are going to be the _only_ ten people who will be aware of what truly happened to him."

...

You felt your eyes narrow onto Miller as she continued.

"If this truly is the plot of the Peacekeepers, then time will be able to tell who was involved if none of us share any information," she continued, her voice decisive as she spoke. Her eyes wandered towards Samuel and Arthur. "If this is the attack of a gang related variety or even that of a random vagrant, I want you two to remain vigilant on their trail."

She casted her eyes towards you, meeting your glare head on.

"And lastly, if this is a monster related issue, I would like to leave it to you."

...There was an odd pause in the room as her words sank in.

"..To me, an Enforcer," you echoed, a look of disbelief crossing your features. "And what would you like me to do Mrs. Miller, beat an answer out of them?"

"I'd like for you to gain their trust," she said simply, and your disbelief turned to confusion. "As of this moment I am assigning you as the acting Political of the Fives."

...

You were.. stunned to say the least. A few beats of silence passed before Samuel spoke, sounding just as bewildered as you felt.

"I- you can't- Are you crazy? Assigning an Enforcer into a Political position would just be like adding gasoline to the damn fire! We may as well be saying we're putting the whole district on lockdown!" he sputtered, getting up from his chair with a huff. "Have ya lost yer damn mind?!"

"Really? I thought putting another Political into a station where a man had just been murdered and their killer still at large sounded rather ludicrous," she said, tiling her head curiously at your partner. "Placing a Enforcer with the capabilities to defend herself from attackers sounded much more reasonable. Not to mention.."

Her eyes fell on to you once again, taking in your features before smiling.

"You have quite the reputation, hm? Many citizens speak highly of you, and I've heard that you have a whole laundry list of favors from people from all over the city."

...Right. You did. 

So much so that you kept a rolodex to keep track of it all. You were ..an Enforcer of the people.. or so they liked to say. You stuck your neck out for all kinds of folks both in your time as a cop and even now in the Peacekeepers. Your desire to do good for this city meant you acted a little outside your means, bending rules and trying to get people the help they deserved, because you wanted them to have a better life. 

Because you wanted to help this town become the place you knew it could be.

You didn't take money, you didn't take resources. Despite how much you protested, people began paying you in goodwill and favors. It had actually been much more useful earning the trust of folks all over than taking anything physical from them.. but still..

"I believe out of anyone, you have the best set of abilities to improve the situation within the Fives and rebuild the trust between the Keepers and monsters. In doing so we may just be able to kill the rats that threaten to poison our city if they're still lurking within the monster districts," she continued. 

Samuel let out a groan before slumping back down in his chair.

"I don't believe this.." he muttered, the sounds of his toothpick breaking in between his teeth filling the silence.

As much as you'd love to argue, there would be no point. Miller's word was final. You were.. really going to be the Political of the Fives..? The thought of it was actually a little more encouraging, if the potential of being killed by the same person who had done in Foster wasn't also hanging in the back of your head. You were going to be alone, isolated in a district that had no trust for Peacekeepers and that the previous Political had been murdered in, their killer still at large. It was a daunting task.

Still.. Maybe there was actually something you could do to help them? Perhaps you could ask Sans for some advice on the matter..?

"B-but uh.. how are we gonna explain Fosters' disappearance?" Arthur said, his tone rather timid.

"My my, what do you mean?" Miller asked, sarcasm dripping off almost every word. "He's clearly on vacation while you two are investigating the claims of his extortion, right? What else is there to explain?"

Another hush fell as the reality of this investigation was coming to light. 

"So we're gonna lie," Samuel said, and you sighed. "We're gonna cover this up by saying he's gone to the damn Bahamas just so we can run around see if we can catch his murderer. Meanwhile I take it you're gonna be looking into an internal investigation and see if someone wanted him gone from inside the Keepers?"

"Glad you're quicker to catch on than your underling," Miller quipped and Arthur let out a small cough as he retreated into his chair. "I've already begun setting up on keeping the officers quiet, and I know Tobias and his boys will not spill a peep of this to anyone else. I trust in the rest of you as well to not speak a word to anyone, which is specifically why I had you assigned to this."

So she had already had this plan in action before you even set a foot out the door this morning, huh? She must've just been waiting for you all to report back before putting it into action. ...A part of you wished you had ignored Samuel's phone call this morning. One moment you were ready for your day off and now you were getting wrapped up in the middle of a spider's web of lies and deceit that was William Foster's murder.

And also a whole division was now under your care.

"So when do I take over the Political chair?" you asked, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

"Tomorrow," she said plainly and you scowled at her. "I've already arranged for your things to be moved tomorrow afternoon to a house in the Fives, and Tobias has already cleaned up the office for you to use."

Great! Just what you wanted, an office that had a dead body in it just hours ago! Fantastic..

"The faster we build this trust, the faster we can root out the problem," she clarified. "This fiend will more than likely be laying low for the next few days, possibly even weeks, so we need to capitalize on this chance while we have it."

"And what do you suppose we do with our current investigations? The Jackrabbits are still hoppin' about selling firearms and ammunition to other gangs," Samuel said, leg bouncing up a down. You could tell he wanted nothing more than to light a cigarette. You kind of did too. "That issues gonna be coming to a head real soon."

"Kenny boy has been letting me know that he's eager to prove himself. Perhaps I'll let him take over the case," Miller wondered aloud. 

Stars above, anything but him.

Kenneth Nars was half part egotistical prick, half part perverted greedy bastard. You two had joined the Peacekeepers at the same time and he took every opportunity to say something raunchy and demeaning to you. It didn't help that you and Miller were two of four women within the Keepers, and he was too much of a coward to ever speak that way to his superior, so you ended up being on the receiving end of all his flirtatious advances.

Now that he was on the Jackrabbits case he was more than likely going to try to contact you for details rather than Samuel. You already had enough on your plate to deal with, you did not need him showing back up into your life. Dammit.

"Are there any more questions, or have I made myself perfectly clear?" Miller asked, eyeing you all. 

"No ma'am," the three of you sounded off in unison. That was a lie of course, you still had plenty you wanted to ask.

"Good. Our contact will be limited. Unless you find anything important I will be the one getting in touch with you," she said, turning her back to you all and continuing to water her plants. "If everything goes accord, then we will have his murderer and this whole fiasco tied up quickly and quietly. You are all dismissed."

Samuel let out a grunt as he got up out of his chair and headed towards the door, Arthur quickly on his heels. A sympathetic hand found it's way to your shoulder as the older man passed, him giving you a look of pity. 

"Ya know outta all of us, I never thought you'd be the one assigned to desk duty," he mumbled and you let out a scoff.

"Make that two of us."

Another firm pat on the shoulder and he passed, Arthur now gazing at you with worried eyes. He opened his mouth for a moment to say something but quickly closed it. 

"If you're going to worry about me then don't bother," you said rather sternly. "I'd rather you focus your energy on hunting down whoever did this."

He stared at you for a moment before nodding. 

"Right, the sooner we catch him, the sooner you'll be relieved of the Fives," he huffed, taking one good look at you before he also walked out of the room.

You glared at Millers' back one last time before turning on your heels, the fate of all your newly acquired constituents now weighing on your mind. Little did they know that their quiet district was going to be getting caught up in this mess.


	4. pillow talk.

..You didn't want to get up. You didn't want to to fall asleep last night either, realizing that in the morning you would have to make your way to the Fives and begin your career as sitting Political, but there was no helping it as you had eventually drifted off last night. Now that the dreaded morning was here, however.. you just wanted to stay asleep. Forever.

Your conscious barely stirred as you flipped on to your stomach, the soft covers of your bed whispering promises of sleep into your ears. Your arms snaked underneath your pillow as you buried your face in it, wishing you'd just stay here in the warm comforts of your home. The other side of the bed shifted slightly and you let out a huff into your pillow, trying to just enjoy a moment of peace. 

Then, another shift.

...

He was definitely up to something. 

You felt a hand pressing down on the bed on either side of your waist as he loomed over you. 

..What was he-

"Ow," you stated rather matter-of-factly into your pillow as you felt Sans gently bite into your shoulder. Not enough to actually hurt, but you could felt the pressure of his sharp canines just for a moment before releasing, his tongue lightly swirling over the bite mark.

You turned your head slightly, your hair an absolute mess as you glared at him. He chuckled, pulling back and moving a hand to brush a few strands from your face. 

"sorry, couldn't help myself. you just looked good enough to eat," he murmured, his bony fingers lightly dancing on your cheek.

"Didn't get your fill last night?" you asked teasingly, enjoying his touch. The cool sensation of his bones always felt nice against your flushed skin.

"nope," he responded, planting a small kiss on your shoulder before falling back to his side of the bed. His bare white bones were a stark contrast to your dark sheets, the sunlight filtering into the room making them look beautiful. "then again i never seem to get enough of you."

There he went again, making your heart squeeze in a kind of way that made you feel like you were a teenager again. Stars above, all of your life and most of your career you've been chased around by people trying to catch your eye. It mainly now had to do with your position as a Keeper, and the fact that you were still young and unwed. Marrying a Peacekeeper meant a stability and privilege that few got to taste in this city, and you knew that everyone who tried to grab your interest were in it for the status.

Several guys and gals alike had tried to lay on the charm, and most walked away calling you cold-hearted. This skeleton just seemed to do it so naturally, like he didn't even have to think about how to make your heart race. Maybe it was the honesty that always seemed to cling to every charming word he spoke to you, or the tender way he smiled as he said it. It just wasn't fair.

"I will jump your bones again," you mumbled. "Don't test me."

"that a promise?" he asked, his voice rather soft and husky. You had to bury your face back into the pillow to prevent yourself from being captivated by this skeleton yet again, and you felt the side of his bed shake a bit as he laughed. As much fun as it sounded, you couldn't risk getting into it again. The movers would be here some time in the afternoon to ship all of your stuff over to the Fives. 

Besides you.. actually hadn't told Sans what transpired yesterday.

You had every intention to last night when you knew he would be over again, since today was technically suppose to be your day off too, ..but you missed your chance. Dinner had been made, you two had chatted a bit over some alfredo and he cheesily slow danced with you to some songs on the radio. And then you completely ate him up.  
Now in the warmth of the morning sun and flirting with each other, it seemed hard to put into words. 

You trusted Sans. You felt it in your soul and in your heart every time you were with him, and even when you were apart. The idea that your life was on the line was also nothing new. Sure, the stakes were a little higher now, but the potential to die while on duty was something you had been living with the day you took an oath as an officer in this city. It was also something that doubled down on you when you began selling your information to Sans, making you as dirty as the come in the eyes of the Keepers.

The part that worried you now, was Miller. 

You were in her direct line of sight. If anything were to happen, you were now one of ten people to be suspected. ..Those odds weren't great in your eyes, and knowing how keen of a Keeper she was made you all the more nervous. There were also so many possibilities left in the air about who had actually killed William Foster. As much as you wanted to give monsters the benefit of the doubt, there was no ruling out their involvement either. The same went for the Kingsmen, even if one of their more infamous members currently occupied the other side of your bed.

..You actually wondered if Sans would tell you if they had been involved in some way. There were a few things you two didn't share, for the sake of keeping some loyalties to your respective parties. Sans' loyalty to the Kingsmen was much higher than your was to the Keepers, for obvious reasons.. but.. this was the first time you've actually questioned if he'd withhold something from you. If they truly had been involved with the death of William Foster, would he tell you? 

"seems like something's on your mind, sweetheart," he murmured. You managed to pull your face out from your pillow to look at him as he laid beside you, eyelights filled with a gentle concern. He could always read you like a book, couldn't he?

"I've.. uh.." you began, hands reaching out to touch his neck bones. It was a little difficult finding what you wanted to say. "I've had a change in investigations." 

You kept your eyes cast downward to his neck. It provided a welcome distraction from having to look at his face, knowing if he glanced at you a certain way you'd probably spill just about everything. 

"no longer _hunting_ jackrabbits?" he asked, placing his own hand on your forearm and carefully stroking it. You ignored the pun, despite smiling about it. His eyesockets closed a bit as your fingers wandered over the oddly shaped bones of his neck, letting out a small sigh between his teeth. It was cold to the touch, just like most of his joints were. It's where his magic connected, after all, keeping this pile of bones from being a literal pile of bones.

"No... not anymore. It uh.. seems like they're reassigning me districts too," you added, which caused his eyesockets to open wide at you. "I'll be out of contact for a bit while sorting everything out."

"..where to?"

There was a hesitance to his question and you found your smile turning a little sad in response.

"I can't say quite yet."

You fingers slid between the spaces of his vertebrae, catching the way his expression fell a bit.

"There's a lot go through," you added, a pang of guilt hitting you. "I've got eyes on my back at the moment. Can't have myself slipping up."

There was an air of understanding at least.

Sans had gone out of reach every once in awhile, mostly when another Peacekeeper was put back on his trail. His reputation as the monster who could travel between districts without being caught caused a lot of trouble for the city, but the Peacekeepers could never keep up. 

He was too slippery. 

Never enough information about him. 

Just small sightings and the occasional whisper in the street, not any concrete evidence to show just how exactly a monster was able to move to any district while avoiding the checkpoints. He was a master of covering his own trail too, protecting informants like you and the large network of people he exchanged info with from being caught. 

In doing so, he sometimes went to hide out in places he couldn't quite tell you the exact location of. You never minded, it was the life you two lead, and your closeness couldn't change the fact that both of you needed to keep some secrets to protect yourselves. You two were both friends and enemies in the same breath.

His eyeslights seemed to be studying your face for a moment, a bit of a sullen expression in his eyes. Seems like you weren't the only one who didn't want to leave now. You could almost feel the questions lingering in the air as he looked at you, but he only asked one.

"should i be worried about you?"

It was a very sweet sentiment. Sans had made it a point more recently that if something were to ever happen with the Peacekeepers, he'd be there for you. Having the ever ellusive 'Judge' on your side was encouraging, and a part of you actually thought about saying yes to his question, but truth be told it was hard to gauge the whole situation yet.

Foster had been just a Political. 

You were an Enforcer, someone fully capable of handling themselves. 

On the same end, because you were an Enforcer, how would the monsters of the Fives react to you being assigned as their Political? Would they be terrified of you? That was almost a given.. but.. would they try to shun you out? Ignore you? ..Make an attempt to hurt you? Samuel had been right, placing someone of your status into that position would make it seem like they were being put on lockdown.

"I'll be okay. I know I may be soft around you but I promise I'm a tough girl," you said encouragingly, fingers wandering up his neck, then gently scraping against his mandible. Your hand eventually found it's way to his cheek, and his eyesockets closed again as he tenderly squeezed your forearm, seeming to relish in your touch.

"then you'll forgive me then for worrying about you anyways, hm?"

You responded by placing a small kiss on his forehead, feeling his cold breath on your neck as you lingered there for a moment. Not knowing when you might have a safe chance to speak to him again, much less see him, made you all the more resentful to leave your bed. Sans had become such a comfort in your life that it almost felt painful to be without him. How were you suppose to survive the oncoming weeks without your favorite punny skeleton by your side?

You retreated back to your own pillow just a bit, still feeling the chilly air that passed through his teeth every time he took a breath. 

"I'm sure it won't be long," you said, trying to convince yourself that it was true just as much as you were trying to convince Sans. "Besides, you always seem to have a knack for finding me wherever I go."

Even if the Fives and the Sixes were technically separated, you were positive word would spread fast about an Enforcer being put up as the Political between the two. Surely you two would meet again much sooner than you thought? 

"well, that radiant soul of yours is easy to pick out in a crowd, " he spoke softly as he took your hand from his cheek and held it, carefully lacing his bony digits with yours. "like my own little personal ray of sunlight on a cloudy day. can't help myself but follow everywhere you shine."

Damn him. 

Damn him for making it so hard to leave! You were going to melt into a puddle at this rate! You knew you were blushing by the way he was looking at you, eyelights glimmering, so you pouted. It made him smile, at the very least, so you'd take it as a victory.

"You are really asking for it," you muttered, squeezing his hand a bit.

"huh. and here i thought that bite was a good enough sign to let ya know i was ready and willing to continue where we left off," he remarked. "guess i'll have to bite harder next time."

...

You were very heavily considering your next step as you glanced at the clock on your nightstand.. but you didn't have the time. At this rate the movers were gonna catch you smooching on a skeleton in your bed and that woulda been the end of your career. 

You.. really shouldn't be humoring that thought as much as you were.. 

Even if your position was within a corrupt system which you despised, the information they provided was necessary. You couldn't be running off with a monster just yet.

So instead, you stuck out your tongue at him and regretfully let go of hand, finally finding a bit of willpower to get your day started. He chuckled a bit, but he seemed more than content just staying in bed for awhile longer. 

You really, _really_ wish you could be doing the same right now, but at the very least you needed a shower before taking on today. The two of you could also at least share one last breakfast together before you went to the Fives. 

...Today was going to be a long day.


	5. a fixer-upper.

After a rather quiet and peaceful breakfast with Sans, you managed to have him depart before the movers came. He seemed.. hesitant to leave but after a little more convincing that things were fine and that you'd be perfectly alright (and a few smooches), he relented. You told him you'd be in contact again soon when things were fine, or if he really did find you before then to be careful. You didn't exactly need to say who was watching your back at the moment, but Sans seemed to pick up on the hint that it was someone important and left well enough alone.

Now you were driving back into the Fives, having reluctantly handed over the keys to the movers before heading out. That apartment had been a great home to you the past few years, neatly tucked away in the quiet neighborhoods of the Threes. Most of your neighbors had been kind and the area was peaceful, without much gang related activity or violence. And now it was gone. 

As bittersweet as it was, you still had a lot of hope as well as doubts for your new position.

Being a Political was.. tricky. It required a lot of people skills and managing that you weren't really sure you'd be the best at. Your reputation as a prickly cold hearted bitch was definitely known, and even if you had a slight soft spot for monsters you just.. weren't that great at dealing with others. But you liked to get things done. And you were going to get things done.

These folks had been dealing with a shitty Political for years now, they deserved to have those government funds put into their neighborhoods and community, not lining someone's pocket.

Finally making into the Fives was discouraging though. You had been so distracted the first time you went around here, seeing it in the full sunlight of the afternoon.. it was bad. Really bad.

The streets were dirty, full of pot holes and scraps of trash everywhere. The buildings looked even worse now that you could see them more clearly, and any trees or plants that had attempted to grow had all but died from the lack of care. It was disheartening and dreary on every level, and you suddenly felt even less sure of how you were going to tackle these problems.

There were very few monsters on the streets, most seemed to stick to their houses or inside buildings and restaurants. Those who were on the streets seemed to stare at your unmarked care rather uneasily. Not many people had any reason to come to the Fives after all, it was mostly housing and small locally owned monster businesses. Not exactly a tourist destination compared to the Sixes.

You felt your fingers drum on your steering wheel as you finally made it to the Political office, a deep sigh escaping from you. Your eyes wandered to the manila envelope on the passenger seat, one that a mover had given you this morning. It had a small note from Miller along with the keys for the office and the information to access the funding for the Fives. It was still overwhelming to even think about right now, so instead of marinating in your troubles you may as well get started.

You exited the car, opting to leave your trench coat, along with your gun and destabilizer inside for now. Most Enforcers wore them, and were the only units in the Peacekeepers with the authority to handle a destabilizer, so you didn't exactly want to send off alarm bells to everyone in the district just yet. Carefully rolling up the sleeves of your white button up you approached the building. You donned a black vest today as well along with your black slacks and boots. A Peacekeeper pin rested on the vest lapel and you neatly tied your hair back before opening the door.

The office was eerie. The front room looked much the same as it had yesterday, filled with a desk and several chairs that made it feel more like a waiting room than anything. A few fake plants made it feel a little less bland though, but nothing really stood out to you. Just looking at the back office had your stomach doing flips, your hand resting on the door knob before swinging it open.

Tobias was incredibly good at his job, you came to realize yet again.

It was spotless.

Like nothing had ever even happened.

Somehow that just made you all the more uncomfortable. Much of the furniture had been changed out at least, a new desk and chair in place for you to use and a some more fake plants helped breathe some life into the room. They even added a few extra chairs and a coffee table. There were a few sets of keys hung up near the desk, and a new map of the district had been put up on the wall for you to use. 

.. Stars above you were really in over your head, weren't you?

You let out a breath, feeling your shoulders slump a bit as you made your way inside. You were tasked with earning the trust of these monsters and improving their situation, but just where in the hell where you even suppose to begin? This whole place was a shit show, from the road to the buildings, even some of the streetlights looked broken. You took a seat on the desk and rubbed your temples, groaning as you tried to sort out your head.

Your best course of action would be to take in all of the damage and decide on a project to start on. Something decent that will get the community out and going, or perhaps would even be willing to lend a hand in. Maybe on the side you could take requests? Helping people out on a more personal level from time to time would help gain favor too.

..But the monsters would be terrified of you.

There's a very small chance that they would actually ask for your help. Maybe it was a good idea to keep your official title as an Enforcer on the down low. You wouldn't lie, obviously, each department had a different style badge, but it's not like you had to specifically mention it. 

..Maybe you could give them some anon way to send in requests? That was they didn't actually have to talk to you face to face? There had been a letterbox outside.. You took a moment to grab a notepad and pen from the desk before heading back to the front of the office.

There was indeed an unused letterbox. Attaching something to the wall and maybe making a form to fill out to take requests and complaints wouldn't be a terrible idea. You'd have to get in touch with your printer contact soon and put in an order for something.

You locked up the office, deciding to take a stroll around the neighborhood to get your bearings of the area and check up on the damage with your own eyes, taking notes in the process. It was a rather nice day outside as spring was quickly shifting over to summer and the air was growing a bit warmer. 

A short walk from the office you could see the bare bones remains of a park. Most of the grass was dying or growing in strange patches, and the trees had seen better days. There were a few monsters hanging out on benches, some elders playing chess on a small table, a couple of kids running around as well a blue bunny who stood out in the distance with an ice cream cart.

It looked.. sad. 

Like someone had sucked the life out of it. And yet the monsters were still here, trying to make the most of it. The park was rather centralized within the district, so perhaps fixing this place up would be a good starting point. You didn't exactly know what the district funding looked like since Foster had finally gotten his greedy little paws off of it, but you did know a landscaper who owed you a favor. Maybe Miller wasn't totally off base saying you had the skills and connections to fix things up.

As you walked, monsters seemed to quickly steer out of your path. Not completely unexpected, but it was going to make it difficult to get any good info if they all kept avoiding you. Your resting bitch face was also not helping, and trying to relax the scowl on your face was difficult.

"Top of the afternoon to ya Miss!" a voice called as you approached. Glancing ahead you could see the blue bunny you had noticed a little earlier, a somewhat friendly smile on his face. It was surprising he hadn't cowered away, like a lot of the monsters were currently doing on your stroll, but you didn't want to pass up the opportunity to finally speak to someone.

"Good afternoon sir," you said, approaching his cart and returning the greeting. He was about your height and had a kind of welcoming glimmer in his eye that had matched his friendly attitude. "Selling ice creams?"

"Nice Creams," he corrected, with a wink. Ah, right. Monsters had a habit of naming magical food closely to human foods, so these must be monster ice creams then. Or at least, something close. 

"Nice Creams," you echoed, a small smile forming on to your face. 

"It's the frozen treat that warms your heart!" he said, leaning up against his small cart. Your Enforcer habits were coming in as you lightly inspected it. There was a cute red and yellow striped parasol that covered the silvery red cart in a nice bit of shade and overall it seemed very well maintained. He had a city license neatly taped on the side.. which was.. expired.

You heard a small nervous laugh come out of the rabbit as the leaned a little more into the cart, covering part of the expired food distributing license.

"..Would you like to buy one?" His jovial tone and mood had quickly turned a bit anxious as you paused. 

"I would actually. Whichever flavor is your most popular I'd like to try," you remarked, carefully eyeing the list of almost 21 flavors. He seemed surprised for a moment before quickly opening up a compartment on the cart and grabbing you one. 

"They're uh.. only a nickel!" he said, and you quietly began to dig out the change from your wallet. Selling food on an expired license was a hefty fine, one that could even acquire you jail time if it's been expired too long. From what you could glimpse it had been about a year since he needed a renewal, teetering right on the edge of both fines and a booking. You glanced carefully back to the young rabbit as he held out the ice cre- err.. Nice Cream to you.

"Thank you. Can I ask your name sir?" you asked, exchanging five cents for the Nice Cream.

"It's Blue ma'am, no need to call me sir," he replied, pocketing the change and seeming to regard you a little more carefully.

"Alright then Blue, may I ask you a few questions?" 

His ears seemed to twitch slightly and his eyes darted around for a moment. He was nervous. Must've already picked up on where this conversation made be headed, and you kept your composure rather calm as you removed the wrapper from the bar. It was white with small flecks in it.

"Ah, uh, o-of course ma'am, what can I answer for ya?" he said, pulling a little on the collar of his shirt. You carefully took a small taste of the bar, a sweet and almost vanilla like flavor filling your mouth. It was rather refreshing.

"You seem like the kind of fellow who spends a lot of time outside and talking to the other monsters," you said rather thoughtfully, taking another taste of the Nice Cream. "Beginning today I have been entrusted to act as a temporary Political here in the Fives, and I wanted to ask if there's been anything troubling the citizens here."

A moment passed where you continued to gaze at him, eating the treat and he seemed to finally process what you said.

"Y-You are!? I-I uh, I mean," he let out a cough and cleared his throat for a moment, his eyes lighting up when he spoke again. "Yes! There's been a lot actually going on recently. I'm sure you've noticed that things aren't really.. great."

He seemed to reach up and scratch the back of his head nervously while glancing around the park. No, it really wasn't that great, was it?

"N-not that we're complaining or anything! We're all glad to be here on the surface in Ebott it's just um.."

"You don't have to hold back, Blue," you said, trying to encourage him to speak his mind. He's surely been condition now to speak formally and with respect to the Peacekeepers, just like most citizens were. "I'll let you know that I appreciate honesty. It'll make this whole process a lot easier."

Blue glanced back to you for a moment, taking in your expression and demeanor. It was a few more moments before his shoulder sagged a bit and he once again looked to the park. Some monsters were watching your interaction taking place, but you mostly kept your attention on the bunny before you.

"There's.. a lot that's not great with the Fives," he said, the sadness in his tone reflected in his face. "A lot of us are struggling, you can see it all around you. We tried to.. keep things nice but.. despite our best attempts, even the parks been dying out on us. Many can't afford to help take care of it."

It shouldn't be their job to maintain the park anyways. The budgeting of each district was to help maintain public places and appearances, as well as to help create a fund to support those who were in trouble financially. 

Blue seemed like the friendly sort, which made it much easier to squeeze a little information out of him than most, but you could tell he was still holding back from voicing other concerns. Miller was right. Monsters had no trust for the Keepers, and the pin on your lapel was keeping you from finding out anymore than just surface level issues.

Still, it looks like your hunch was right that maybe fixing up the park was a good place to start.

"I see," you said, continuing to munch on the frozen treat. "It'll take quite a bit of man power to fix up the park in it's state."

He sighed a bit, like he already saw your answer coming. You had to wonder, how many times did these monsters try to plead with Foster to fix anything? How many times had they been denied? He seemed, defeated. Like you had told him it was impossible to do anything about it despite only having made a small comment on the matter. Finally managing to finish off the Nice Cream, you placed the stick back into the wrapper as your eyes catch on to a message written inside.

_'You're just great!'_

...

"It may take a few days but I can see about perhaps getting this park in better shape," you said and he seemed to perk up.

"..Really?" he asked, almost sounding hesitant. 

"Yes, I plan to open up the letterbox in the Political headquarters to take requests and complaints, but if there is enough backing to the idea then the park may be the first big problem I intend to tackle," you said, also letting your eyes sweep over the area. "If you know anyone who has any ideas or thoughts on anything, feel free to send them my way."

"I.. uh y-yes ma'am! Thank you," he said, still sounding surprised.

"No, thank you, Blue. The Nice Cream was quite nice," you said, deciding to pocket the wrapper instead of throwing it away. "Thank you for answering my questions as well. If you have any more suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know."

You gave the rabbit a cursory nod before continuing on your way with your walk.

"I-uh," Blue began, causing you to turn a bit to look at him. "..Have a super-duper day ma'am!"

There was.. a small hopefulness to his tone. You smiled a bit in return and waved before continuing, taking out your pen and paper and writing a few things down.

' _Fixing up park. Financial help. License renewals._ '

So few things, and still all of them would take a lot of work on your end. Still had to start somewhere..


	6. uncertain.

The rest of your walk had been met with mixed reviews. 

Most of your assessment of the district had been from your own eyes. A lot of the housing and building damage would have to be fixed by talking to contractors and landlords. Much of the dying grass and trees would have to be trimmed and replaced by landscapers and maybe some florists to bring in flowers. The broken streets needed to be repaved and there were a few folks you knew who could repair the damaged streetlights. 

Near the small shopping district in town, many of the restaurants and shops were either closed or were running on expired licenses, with fearful owners practically shaking as you walked inside. You didn't ticket them. You didn't report them. Hell, you didn't even comment on it. This was.. a much bigger issue that you were coming to realize.

These people didn't have access to the resources they needed, the few documents Fosters bothered to keep show that. The Licensing Bureau was in the Ones, and more often than not monsters couldn't visit there. It was up to the Politicals to schedule agents to come down here so people could properly renew and file for licensing, and it was very clear that Foster was failing them at this. It was infuriating.

Almost every monster tried their best to avoid encountering you on the rest of your walk. The other few you did talk to, you managed to at least introduce yourself and ask if the citizens had any complaints. Some did, usually very small things, but many were hesitant to voice any kind of real concerns out in the open. 

So, instead you had made it a point to at least mention that you would be opening the letterbox to concerns, and if anyone would like to make an anonymous complaint, that they could simply write a letter and submit it there. Some seemed to respond to the idea a bit, but you knew it would be awhile before you'd get anything concrete. What you did not expect, was the letterbox to be stuffed full of garbage when you went to check on it the next day.

You weren't angry per say, but it was a little disheartening. Trash had been completely stuffed into the mouth of the thing. Everything from food wrappers, used napkins to what you assumed must've been a wet newspaper. After your uneventful night of rest in your new home it was.. discouraging.

But you weren't someone who would just back down from something like this. 

So, with a pair of gloves, you carefully removed all of the trash from the letterbox. You were sure to check each item to atleast check that someone hadn't actually written you something, and then proceeded to wash the whole thing out with some soap and water. 

Nothing yet, it seems. 

The monsters were going to hesitate opening up to you, that was for certain. Even after your slight success at talking to some folks like Blue, it was going to take time and effort on your part to really get things going in a positive direction. Time was already ticking away, so you may as well start putting in some effort.

You had pinned the Nice Cream wrapper to the map of the district near the park, a reminder of your words to the bunny. Luckily you had managed to dig out your rolodex from the several boxes of things that had been left at your new housing and brought it to the office. Flipping through, the name Carter caught your eye.

One short phone call (and a small complaint on his end for not calling him sooner) was all it took to set a date and time for Mr. Carter to come out an asses the damage of the park. He was a very kind man. Friendly and sociable, he had treated you like family after you gave his daughter a ride home one evening when her friends had stayed out a little too late partying and drinking. You didn't reprimand the girls either despite being a few years underage and also for the illegal consumption of alcohol. You had gone through that phase too, after all, and making sure they all got home safe after seeing how distressed one of the girls was made for a better lesson than trying to lecture them.

After that night Mr. Carter promised, if you even needed someone who knew a few things about lawns and landscaping, he'd be your man. May as well cash in that favor now.

Still, you had a few days until that appointment, and sitting around was tempting since your days off had been stolen from you, but you'd prefer to be out of this cursed office as much as possible. With no leads on anything yet, perhaps it was time to take another stroll around the district and see what could come up. It was a new day after all, and getting your face more familiar with the citizens would hopefully make things easier. You were feeling a little hungry too.

There was a strange tension as you walked into the small shopping district again. A lot of eyes gazed at you warily as you made a patrol, but at least most monsters weren't cowering out of your sight like yesterday. You still left your trench coat and firearms in the office though, didn't really need to let the cat out of the bag yet. The scent of cinnamon caught your attention as you walked, leading you to a rather small general goods shop on the corner of the street. 

It was quiet as you entered, the door jingling slight as you pushed it, and the two monsters who had been browsing it's wares immediately went hush as you walked inside.

"Oh, welcome i-" a voice said, appearing behind the counter before it paused. "Ah. Good morning ma'am. How can I help you?"

The kind tone had turned much more formal as you were met with a lavender bunny today. Her eyes were gentle, but constrained with worry as she gave you a small once over.

"Good morning," you returned glancing around. There were some groceries and food items available on the shelves, and on the counter rested what smelled like cinnamon rolls but were in the shape of cute little bunnies. "I'd like to purchase a few of these, if that's alright."

"Oh! A few cinnamon bunnies? Coming right up," she said, punching a few numbers into the registered. You handed over the cash as she quickly began bagging up the order. It was quiet and you could hear a few whispers pass by the other two monsters behind as well as the ticking of the clock. It wasn't long before the bunny was hanging you over your purchase.

"You're um.. you're our new Political aren't you?" she asked rather hesitantly.

"Yes," you said simply, taking the bag. "Word travels fast, hm?"

You hadn't stopped by this shop yesterday and it seems like you've already been made known here. The monster community was tightly knit, but you were still a little caught off guard by just how fast things had gotten out.

"It's a rather hot topic. We've only ever had Mr. Foster sitting in that position so everyone is rather excited to see a new face," she said, twiddling her thumbs a bit as she spoke. Just like Blue she seemed friendly and willing to talk. Although her voice held no relief when speaking about Foster, she did seem rather glad to see you.

"I see. I'll hopefully make a good first impression to everyone then. What is your name Miss?" 

"I'm Lavender. Lavender Rabbit," she said. A.. little on the nose wasn't it? Then again Blue's name had been too. Maybe it was a theme among rabbits? 

"It's a pleasure, Lavender," you said, giving your own name in return. "This is a very cute shop you run."

"Thank you," she said, actually sounding a little pleased. She seemed to relax a little as you conversed, the two monsters in the back no longer whispering. "Took awhile to bring everything up here from Snowdin but I'm mighty pleased with how it all turned out."

Snowdin? That was.. the same place Sans said he came from, right? You quickly tried to push the thoughts of him and how much you missed him out of your head as you continued your small talk.

"It's definitely something to be proud of," you said, taking it all in and she puffed her chest out in pride, hands on her hips. "If it's alright with you Lavender, may I ask a question?"

"Sure! I'll be glad to answer," she said, sounding rather happpy now that you complimented her and her business.

"I appreciate it, but if you don't want to answer you don't have to. I just wanted to ask, when was the last time someone from the Licensing Bureau was in the Fives?" 

A pause. You expected it. She was also running on an expired license after all. Her expression fell a bit and yours remained rather neutral as you watched her contemplate her reply. 

"T..t-that's uh.." Lavender said, stumbling a bit. From those papers you did find detailing things, it would of been about two years and so many months since someone showed up. Most of the licenses had been about a years out, and if that was a consistent trend it meant that these monsters weren't avoiding the law, but rather that simply couldn't because the opportunity wasn't there.

As more silence filled the air you simply shook your head.

"It's alright. I'm not here to punish anyone for anything. Foster didn't exactly leave a good trail of documentation behind," you said, explaining yourself. "I'd like to get someone in here to hopefully get everyone renewed and if I can have proof on his part that he was failing to provide you all the chance to renew them properly, we may be able to avoid a lot of late fees."

A hand found it's way to Lavender's chest for a moment as she listened. She was considering saying something, and it was a few moments before she decided to speak up.

"I.. can't say for sure how long it's been but I'd guess probably a few years? We had.. asked about it to Mr. Foster before and he had promised someone would come. Nobody ever did though," she recounted softly. "We couldn't just.. close shop though. A lot of our livelihood depends on these businesses. I have my children to feed and my family to support I just.."

It was heartbreaking to listen to her speak, so you simply nodded along. 

"I understand Lavender. Thank you for telling me. With any luck, if I can gather a few more testimonies I should be able to get someone down here by next week," you said, placing your cinnamon bunnies down for a moment and taking out your notepad and pen before jotting it down. 

"I.. really?" she asked, once again hope clinging to her tone, much like it had with Blue's.

"Yes. If you'd like to put your name and word to submit a formal testimony it would do us all the better, but I understand if you would prefer not to. With or without it, I'll be sure to get someone down here."

It was a lot to promise but.. these people deserved it. They had worked hard to bring their businesses from underground to the surface. There were plenty of families, just like Lavender's, who survived off of them. They deserved to have a chance to continue operating, and it was now your responsibility to provide it for them.

"That would be.. Thank you! If you can than maybe some more shops will open back up! There were a couple folks who were too scared to stay open but if we can get everyone renewed we might.." her voice trailed off as she spoke, giving you a solid smile instead. "It would mean everything to us, Miss. Thank you."

"Thank you for speaking up. And thank you for the cinnamon bunnies. I appreciate it a lot. If there's anyone you know who's having any trouble feel free to send them to the Political office. I've opened up the letterbox to submit requests and complaints," you said, almost feeling like an automated machine for how many times you'd given the spiel about your letterbox. You weren't going to let this mornings setback discourage you from the idea.

"I-I will. Have a good morning Miss," she said, giving you a wave as you walked out of the store, the door jingling again as you exited. You only managed to make it a few steps before the door jingled again and you heard your name being called.

"P-Please wait!"

Upon turning around you saw one of the monsters who had been browsing the shop. It seemed to be a water elemental of some kind, her shape in the general form of a humanoid but.. there was no mistaking she was completely made of water. It shifted and sparkled under the sunlight, and she had no mouth, just two little sparkling orbs which you believed to be her eyes. Despite not really having a face she seemed incredibly nervous.

"I-I uh.." she said, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I wanted to ask for your help!"

There was a small note of surprise on your face as you watched the door to Lavender's shop open again, and a lizard-like monster quickly followed behind the water elemental.

"Marina!" they hissed, seeming to freeze under your gaze. They were a bit taller than than their water elemental friend, with white-ish scales and yellow eyes that seemed to watch your every move.

"S-she just offered to help out Lavy, maybe she can help us too, June!" the water elemental, Marina, said stomping a foot on the ground. She sounded distressed.

"Please calm down. Is everything alright?" you asked, now slightly concerned. There were definitely a few monsters staring at the commotion now.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Marina said, turning back to face you. "I wanted to ask for your help with a big issue my partner and I are having with our housing."

Oh. You.. weren't exactly expecting to have someone reach out like this so soon and out in the open like this. 

"Of course, I'd be more than happy to help you," you said, realizing your bag of cinnamon bunnies may just go uneaten for awhile. "If you'd like to walk and talk we can find somewhere a little more private to speak about this."

"Y-yes I would.. thank you," she said, her hands now nervously rubbing together. The lizard monster seemed to be keeping an eye on you, but quickly stayed by Marina's side as you all began to walk from the shopping area.

"We've been having electricity issues in our building. There have been a few days we've been without power," she said, grabbing on to one of the lizard monsters hands as they walked side by side. They must be the partner they spoke of. "We've tried speaking to the landlord about it but he keeps refusing to come down and check it out. The last time we tried to fix it on our own he threatened to kick us out.. I.. don't know what else to do.."

"I assume you two have been keeping up on your electricity bill, right?" you asked. The lizard monster let out another small hiss but Marina shushed her.

"Yes. We think some of the wiring in the house might be faulty. Sometimes the circuit breaker trips and I'm worried it'll cause damage," she said. These poor kids.

"Are there more people who live in the building?" you asked, and she nodded. 

"There's us, and about five more families who live there at the moment. We've all tried to either fix it or get in contact with our landlord but.. he just doesn't want to cooperate."

Many of the housing plots here in the Fives were owned by people who had never stepped foot in this district. By refusing to help with the situation, this man was now denying these poor monsters a basic necessity and endangering them if the wiring really was faulty. They had full rights to withhold their rent, but it's more than likely they were either too scared to stop paying or may not even fully know that.

"I understand. Well Marina, I'd be happy to come stop by and take a look at everything. There will be a few tools I need to gather and a few calls I would have to make, but I could even stop by today if you would prefer," you said and the lights that made up her eyes went a little bigger.

"Yes! I-I would! The power just recently came back but I think I might just go crazy if it goes out again," she said, the relief tangible in her tone. "We're right on the corner of Second and Park street, I'll give you the address!"

You neatly tucked the bag of cinnamon bunnies under your arm and handed over your notepad for her to jot down her building address. 

"If there's anything that can be done.. please," she said once again looking at you with hopeful eyelights.

"I'll be sure to get everything squared away Marina. How about I meet up with you again around two or so? Should give me enough time to get my tools and phone calls done," you said. She nodded happily.

"Yes that'd be just fine. Thank you!"

"T..Thank you very much," the lizard voice spoke. Their expression had softened just a tad and you did your best to smile.

"Two o'clock it is then. Be safe on your way home, alright?" you said and both monsters thanked you again as you parted ways. 

Looks like your day was about to be filled with a house inspection. You said you were going to help these people, so it was time to put your money where your mouths is.. and maybe some of those cinnamon bunnies too because you were absolutely _starving_.

They were every bit as delicious as you hoped they would be.


End file.
